Good news to share on Canada Day

"Oh, Canada..."

Happy Canada Day! Especially to Jen, Trevor and their multinational baby Jackie.

We have good news about the mega-project!

We've written before about the plans to build a five-story tall, 110-unit condo complex right on Shacks Beach and some of the efforts (and consequences of those efforts) to stop the project.

Well, "little" people CAN make a difference against the rich and powerful! In the face of much vocal local opposition the developers of the project have WITHDRAWN their request for variances that would have allowed them to build higher, closer to the dunes and with buildings closer together than zoning allows. They have decided to revert back to the much smaller project that was approved for the site in 1999. Although we don't (and probably will never) know all the reasons behind their decision, we think they may be facing the possibility of not being able to build anything on that site.

This will probably not be the end of the dispute - there are still several issues even with the original plans. And things have changed since 1999. They may not even be able to build the project that was approved then. That remains to be seen. For now, in the short run, this is a victory for us poor, powerless folk who don't want to see Shacks Beach turned to an overdeveloped strip like some of the beaches in Rincon.

We will continue to keep you updated as we know/learn more. At the moment, we're celebrating!

Thank you for your interest and your support as we've worked to protect the dunes, beaches and reefs we love so much. And special thanks to the voice of our community (she prefers to remain anonymous). She has been coming to this area since she was a child with her grandparents and grew up appreciating the beauty of the area.

She says "I know my grandparents, who have both passed, wanted me to speak up for them, for us and for future generations. Without the support of my husband and others in the community who were not afraid to join forces and say "NO", my voice would not have been strong enough to prevail. I hope this is an example for other communities in Puerto Rico and elsewhere, that together you can and will be heard. Bottom line, don't complain, if you are not willing to do something about it."

Without her, they would probably be pouring tons of concrete on the dune by now.